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Using high tech sampling technology perfected in corn, wheat and soybeans, Crop Quest Agronomist Cort Minor is demonstrating to eastern New Mexico pecan growers how to maximize fertilizer use to increase yields and profitability. Though a minor crop in most states, pecans are a huge agricultural business in New Mexico. In 2007, the state was ranked #1 in total production for a few months before being edged out by Texas. Every year they push production numbers to gain back their #1 ranking. Pecans have been grown commercially in New Mexico for over 70 years and most growers use standard production guidelines that precede the use of grid and zone sampling, and in many cases fertilizer use is far from efficient. With the cost of most fertilizer blends nearly tripling in cost over the past five years, using variable rate application to get the most out of these inputs is critical to the growers bottom line. I started working with some growers here in eastern New Mexico a couple of years ago, and have had to learn along with my growers in some cases, says Crop Quest Agronomist Cort Minor. Most of these growers have done things the same way for a lot of years, but they are always open to new ideas and ways of improving production, he adds. Having worked with grid and zone sampling on row crops, I felt like we could help pecan growers make some better management decisions on fertilizer use. Nathan Woydziak (Crop Quest Precision Agriculture Specialist) came down, and we used some different sampling techniques, Minor says. Woydziak says they ran the gamut on developing a system for optimum sampling to help growers maximize fertilizer use. We started as basic as one sample per tree, he recalls. We used our row crop model for grid sampling on a 2.5 acre grid, and we sampled by rows. It was interesting that the degree of variability in nutrient levels showed the same trends, regardless of the size samples we took, he explains. Minor adds that the variability they found in nutrient levels were very similar to what is typically found in row crops in the area. What we found is exciting that it opens up some real opportuni-
ties for growers to increase yields much the same way grain growers have done in the Midwest, once they got into variable rate application of nutrients, he concludes. New Mexico pecan growers are set up Cort Minor to apply chemicals and fertilizers to their orchards between the tree rows, and it appears that row sampling will work out best for the growers working with Crop Quest. Trees are typically planted on 30-40-foot rows with 20-30 foot spacings between trees depending on future thinning or transplanting plans. A typical 2.5 acre grid sample would cover about 88 trees, which is somewhat more than the number of trees in a pecan row sample. The smaller sample may be a bit more precise than the typical row crop grid samples, and considering the relative high price of pecansto-grain, this technology stands to pay huge dividends to eastern New Mexico pecan growers. The orchard in which the Crop Quest agronomists tested the various grid methods had been on the same fertility program for more than 20 years. Despite this consistency, they found significant variability from row to row. The test showed that we could save this particular grower 20% to 30% on fertilizer costs, if they could use variable rate application, Minor predicts. In the 70-year history of commercial pecan production in New Mexico, acreage has increased to nearly 34,000 acres and over 1.5 million trees. According to USDA statistics, the state produced more than 46 million pounds of pecans in 2007. Minor says the same variable rate application of fertilizer that has helped boost grain production in the U.S. could be used to maximize New Mexico pecan production. A problem with long-term pecan yields is alternate year bearing. By optimizing fertility using precision application technology, the veteran Crop Quest agronomist says
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growers may be able to reduce the degree of alternate year bearing. By making pecan yields more uniform, it is expected that overall yields would increase, but more importantly growers, shellers and ultimately consumers would have a more reliable supply from year to year. More consistent production from year to year would obviously make a big cash flow difference for our growers, Minor explains. One of the biggest advantages for variable rate fertilizer application may be in young orchards, Minor contends. When young trees begin bearing pecans, it takes six to eight years to get into significant production. If we can even out fertility, we may be able to bring an orchard into full production earlier, and that would make a big difference for growers, he adds. In addition to maximizing pecan orchard fertility, Minor is working with growers to fine-tune long-standing models for spraying various insect pests, primarily pecan case borer. By monitoring pheromone traps weekly and scouting orchards during peak insect movement, the Crop Quest consultant is able to give growers an edge on timing, and ultimately help them make better use of insecticides. For example, he says, the model calls for spraying pecan case borers usually in late May, but New Mexico had a late spring in 2007. The results for growers using the spray model were too early an application of insecticide and reduced control which caused increased insect damage. Most of the insecticides we are using have a two to three week residual, so if you miss the optimum timing of application by a week or
two, you will lose some of the residual activity, Minor says. Fine-tuning extends into weed management in pecan orchards too, according to Minor. Some of our growers like to run cattle in their orchards to keep grass and weeds under control. When we are watering or get rainfall the cattle cant keep up, and it is too wet for mowing equipment. We are working with several growers to try and spray with low rates of glyphosate early to burn the weeds back enough to prevent competition with the pecan trees, but at the same time not killing the grass and eliminating grazing. Woydziak says the grid sampling technology is just the beginning of applying variable rate fertilizer application. I would like to use some aerial and satellite imagery to see what kind of differences we see. If Nathan Woydziak we map some of these orchards, we can begin to see some real advantages to precision agriculture, he says. When working with a high value crop as pecans, it doesnt take much yield increase to really affect gross income per acre, Minor concludes. Just a 5% increase in yield would equate to over $150 per acre in gross income. Technology can give a producer the edge to get to maximum production and easily pay for itself.
Livestock manure has always been tough to be around. Regardless of how it is handled, it smells. Manure may be a viable fertilizer option though. Until recently, manure has been viewed as waste needing disposal. With the current fertilizer prices, crop producers are taking another look at manure for its nutrient value. Beef feedlot manure is the most readily By: Jim Gleason available product in the High Plains region. Regional Vice President Because it is produced by animals fed a St. John, Kan. ration high in grain and lower in fiber, normal composition of feedlot manure may be 12 to 15 lbs. nitrogen, 9 to 14 lbs. phosphate and 10 to 14 lbs. potassium per ton. It contains secondary elements like sulfur and zinc as well as micro nutrients like magnesium, boron and copper. The nutrient composition of manure varies widely depending on the diet the cattle were fed and the way that the manure is managed. Manure should be tested by a laboratory to confirm a more accurate analysis. Due to its bulky form, manure is not a concentrated source of plant nutrients. It is expensive to haul and spread because of the large volume of material that is being handled. A typical application rate is 20 tons per acre. Lighter application amounts are hard to get spread evenly. Soon after the manure is applied to the land, it needs to be worked into the soil to prevent the loss of nitrogen into the atmosphere.
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Two Crop Quest agronomists were recognized for 30 Years of Agronomic Service. Farrell Allison started his crop consulting career in the summer of 1977 with Ag-Tech, a firm out of Dalhart, Texas. He was then employed by Servi-Tech in Dec. 1977 until Crop Quest was founded in February of 1992. He became Division Manager with Servi-Tech during the early 80s when the Greensburg Division was created. He has remained Division Manager during his 15 year tenure with Crop Quest. He services farmers and acres in Edwards, Kiowa, Ford, Pratt, Comanche and Stafford counties. He indicated that some of his notable achievements have been in the area of best utilization of water, as irrigation was just coming into the area where he has spent his career. He has also assisted his clients in going from conventional tillage to minimal or no-till farming. He has been instrumental in the use of starter fertilizer on low organic matter sandy soils. In addition, he has been a big advocate of grid sampling throughout his territory. To his accomplishment, he was the first to discover the presence of Gray Leaf Spot disease in 1989 on Pioneer 3162 corn hybrid in South Central Kansas. He has been on the cutting edge with the use of fungicides for the control of this disease as he has seen it spread across Kansas and become a major disease problem since that time. Farrell received his Bachelors Degree
from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas in Agronomy. He is married to Debbie, and they have two married children - Shelley and David. The summer of 1977 was a big career move for Roger Unruh since that is when he started working with Servi-Tech in the Haviland, KS area within Kiowa County. However by December 1977, Servi-Tech was opening a new territory around Mt. Hope and Halstead, KS, and he made the decision to move closer to where he was born (Halstead). In 1983, he was promoted to Division Manager of that area. Roger came to Crop Quest when the company formed in 1992 and has remained the Mt. Hope Division Manager during his time with Crop Quest. He works throughout Harvey, Butler, Sedgwick and Marion counties. He indicated that he has gained satisfaction from making good decisions with his clients in the area of fertility and production agriculture. His goal is to continue to improve and grow the Mt. Hope Division. Some of the challenges facing the area are the loss of water and land due to urbanization and recreation land use. The cost of crop production is also a major concern. Roger received his Bachelors Degree from Fort Hays State University in Hays, KS in 1972 in the area of General Agriculture. He and his wife, Inez, have one daughter, Jennifer.
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Crop Quest Agronomic Services, Inc. Main Office: Phone 620.225.2233 Fax 620.225.3199 Internet: www.cropquest.com cqoffice@cropquest.com